What do you want to be in the future?

In a general sense education is what prepares people for their future jobs. But does it?

The 12-year compulsory schooling followed by the optional academic education is believed to prepare the future generation to build a civilized society.

More than 14 million students attend schools nationwide in Iran for the 2017-18 school year, but is education the only means for a better future for these 14 million? The answer is absolutely a big fat no.

The main problem lies both in parents and education system in that none have ever considered students as individuals with distinguishing characteristics. By failing to recognizing students’ natural abilities, grading them based on what they can or cannot memorize and not teaching them any real life skills both parents and education system are only wasting 12 precious years of the youngsters who are at the best ages of optimal learning.

Unfortunately, for many parents going to school is merely a means of getting admitted to the university and finally finding a job. Many parents are worried about their children’s future and since the day they go to school they keep wondering if they manage to get admission to a good university.

And that’s why many students are obliged to participate in extracurricular activities after school or even during summer and New Year holidays.

On the other hand, for many students the start of the school year is the beginning of getting up early, doing long tedious homework, and memorizing long lessons they never figure out how they are going to prepare them for the future.

The long textbooks, especially the ones designed for high school, barely leaves any time for the teachers to come up with new ideas to make school a more appealing place for the learners.

And after 12 years, the 18-year-old teenagers must prepare themselves for passing an entrance exam they have been warned off since they started school. Some are fully ready for the exam and get the best results and their parents would be proud of them and some fail to get their ideal result and either decide to study for another year for the exam or get disappointed and try to find a job which proves to be the hardest part as they don’t have any skills or experience after 12 years of schooling.

Unfortunately, the education system, which indubitably enabled many students to notch up remarkable successes, has proved to be ineffective in providing many other students with what’s necessary to guarantee a promising future, thus failed to fulfill its primary purpose which is a better future for all.

The main problem lies both in parents and education system in that none have ever considered students as individuals with distinguishing characteristics. By failing to recognizing students’ natural abilities, grading them based on what they can or cannot memorize and not teaching them any real life skills both parents and education system are only wasting 12 precious years of the youngsters who are at the best ages of optimal learning.

As it is not possible to revolutionize the education system within a short space of time parents are definitely playing a key role in recognizing and appreciating their children’s abilities and skills and improving them. Encourage them to learn a new language, a new sport, take acting lessons, learn to play a musical instrument or learn to sing.

Not everyone is supposed to be a doctor or lawyer; not everyone is able to solve complex math problems, one can be a successful writer, editor, or musician and enjoy their lives without any regrets when they look back at those 12 years.

Try to recognize your children’s abilities nurture them and allow them enhance from childhood, stop pushing your children too hard to make them hate school. There lies great energies and potentials for future success in every child.